Jinting Han people

Jia Mi came to the Eastern Palace on a bicycle with only one purpose, which was to visit the Crown Prince Sima Yi.

For other officials, coming to the Eastern Palace to pay a visit to the Crown Prince Sima Yi was a perfectly normal thing, but the visit of Duke Lu Jia Mi was very unusual.

The reason was simple: ever since the Empress came to power, Jia Mi had grown arrogant and arrogant, and his disdain for the Crown Prince was evident. He was extremely rude to the Crown Prince at court meetings, refusing to bow and speaking disrespectfully to him. He also never met him in private, let alone visited the Eastern Palace in person.

Moreover, over the years, he has recruited famous scholars from the capital to Jingu Garden, who praise him all day long, as if Jingu Garden is the Crown Prince and he is the real prince. The most famous group among them is the "Twenty-Four Friends", which are:
Shi Chong of Bohai and Ouyang Jian, Pan Yue of Xingyang, Lu Ji and Lu Yun of Wu, Miao Zheng of Lanling, Du Bin and Zhi Yu of Jingzhao, Zhuge Quan of Langya, Wang Cui of Hongnong, Du Yu of Xiangcheng, Zou Jie of Nanyang, Zuo Si of Qi, Cui Ji of Qinghe, Liu Gui of Pei, Zhou Hui of Runan and Heyu, Qian Xiu of Anping, Chen Jing of Yingchuan, Guo Zhang of Taiyuan, Xu Meng of Gaoyang, Liu Ne of Pengcheng, and Liu Yu and Liu Kun of Zhongshan.

Some of these people came from high-class families, some from humble backgrounds, some joined early, some later, but without exception, they were all leading figures in the literary world of the time. They flattered Jia Mi, promoted him, and wrote a large number of political poems praising his achievements, almost surpassing the pre-imperial Wang Mang. What later generations called "Taikang Literature" probably refers to these works.

With such a chaotic situation, the crown prince's followers all regarded Jia Mi as a thorn in their side. During these eight years, no matter what business the Eastern Palace had, Jia Mi was never invited. The last time Jia Mi visited the Eastern Palace was four years ago, when the emperor's grandson Sima Shang was born, and he had to attend the guests.

Therefore, this visit by Jia Mi to the Eastern Palace was the first of its kind in eight years. And with the Crown Prince leading the royal family in openly challenging the Empress Dowager's faction, the political implications were even stronger.

Two days ago, the Empress had ordered the Crown Prince to appear before her parents at the palace. Using Du Xi's rhetoric, the Crown Prince claimed to have recently been ill and unable to enter the palace, thus circumventing the Empress's intentions to frame him. Therefore, Jia Mi, under the pretext of visiting the patient, made a special trip to the Eastern Palace to see the Crown Prince.

In order to welcome Jia Mi, all the officials in the Eastern Palace were present. The royal family members close to the prince, such as Sima Jiong, King of Qi, Sima Ying, King of Chengdu, and Sima Yan, King of Wu, were also present. Only Sima Yun, King of Huainan, did not come in person.

Under the gazes of the crowd, Jia Mi dismounted from the carriage, dressed in the most luxurious attire. He wore a purple silk tunic, a dark yellow, and red brocade skirt with a phoenix pattern, a purple gold belt, and a three-beam Jinxian crown. Combined with his captivatingly charming face, he was a sight of unrivaled elegance. Even the prince's loyalists, who hated him to the core, had to admit that Jia Mi's looks were unmatched.

However, he was good at talking. Seeing hundreds of people lined up in front of the East Palace gate, Jia Mi sneered and said in front of everyone, "Oh, Sima Yi is really showing off."

These words made everyone present look at each other in bewilderment. They had thought that the Crown Prince had the upper hand at this moment, and that no matter what mission Duke Lu was entrusted with when he came to the Eastern Palace, his attitude would at least soften. However, they had not expected that he would express such obvious hostility as soon as he opened his mouth.

Jia Mi's prestige remained, and the Crown Prince was still in the palace. After careful consideration, everyone remained silent and held their breath. Only Sima Jue, the leader of the group, stepped forward to greet them. He remained calm and said, "Duke Lu has misunderstood. We are not here on the Crown Prince's orders."

"Oh?" Jia Mi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who ordered that?"

"Of course it was the Duke of Lu who ordered it," Sima Jue replied calmly. "Even Duke Shi Jilun had to bow down to him, let alone us mortals?"

This was an act of treason and a blatant attack on Jia Mi. Upon hearing this, Jia Mi raised his brows slightly, showing no sign of backing down. He sneered at Sima Jue and said, "So, the people living in the Eastern Palace are all spineless dogs. When they see their master, they come over and ask for bones."

Sima Jue said in a low voice, "Duke Lu's words are not those of a subject."

Jia Mi said with his hands behind his back, "It is not the behavior of a subject to pressure the Queen Mother, the Crown Prince!"

Without waiting for Sima Jue to reply, he decisively waved his hand and said, "There's no point in saying more. The King of Huainan once said, 'If you're a hero, don't be afraid to admit it!' I'm here to see the Crown Prince today. Where is he? Take me there!"

At this point, everyone understood that Jia Mi had come here to confront the Crown Prince. Although filled with righteous indignation, the Crown Prince had been waiting for this opportunity to negotiate. After much deliberation, the officials decided to make way for Jia Mi. The Crown Prince's Left Guard stepped forward with a cold face, saluted, and led the way with a sword in hand.

It must be said that despite his many faults, Jia Mi's courage was unparalleled. When he entered the Eastern Palace, thousands of guards lined the aisles, swords drawn, and Jia Mi walked through them. Wang Dun, the Crown Prince's Right Guard, and Wang Bao, the Crown Prince's Vanguard, were all imposing figures of eight feet tall, clad in black iron armor, equipped with bows and quivers, and wielding long, ring-handled swords. Their glares were fierce, like gods.

The guards accompanying Jia Mi did not dare to look directly at him, their legs and feet went limp, but Jia Mi, however, looked at him coldly and pretended to laugh, commenting on this:
"It's far worse than Sima Wei back then."

After a while, Jia Mi was ushered into the front hall, accompanied only by a handful of others: Prince of Chengdu Sima Ying, Prince of Qi Sima Jiong, and the Crown Prince's attendant Jiang Tong. Crown Prince Sima Yi, meanwhile, lay on a couch in the front hall, dressed only in a short-sleeved casual attire, fanned by a palace maid. The curtains were drawn high, the doors and windows were wide open, and sunlight streamed in, revealing the Crown Prince's rosy complexion. When Jia Mi entered, he glanced up, his eyes suddenly stern.

Their eyes met, and everyone suspected that there would be a fight, and the hall was extremely quiet for a while.

The result was surprising. The two people looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

After Jia Mi sat down, he mocked, "I heard that you were ill, and I thought it was an excuse to shirk responsibility. I didn't expect it to be true. Is the prince in good health?"

Sima Yi smiled and coughed, "Ahem, I'm sorry to trouble you, Duke Lu. I just have a little respiratory disease. Ahem, I can just recuperate in the palace. It won't affect anything serious."

Jia Mi said, "Alas, the Queen is worried about the Crown Prince and asked me to come and see him. If possible, you might as well recuperate in the palace. With the medical care in the palace, you will recover faster."

Sima Yi shook his head slightly and refused, "Lord Lu, you are too serious. It is just a minor illness. It just needs some time to recuperate. Once the root cause is eliminated, it may be cured."

"The root of the disease?" Jia Mi said with a smile, "I wonder what the root of the disease is?"

"Medical advice says it's probably the same as Prince Qinghe's. It's a heart disease. If you get rid of the depression in your heart, it will probably be fine."

"Ah, so it's a heart disease!" Jia Mi suddenly realized, then leaned forward and asked, "I wonder what the prince's heart disease is. Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help him get rid of it!"

"I'm afraid Duke Lu can't solve my heart disease."

"Oh, I don't believe it," Jia Mi recalled with a smile. "People have mental illnesses because they lack the wisdom to recognize their own limitations, and then they create a prison of their own, unable to break free from their mental illness. As for the relationship between you and me, you should remember that I have been playing chess with you since we were young, and you always lost to me because you couldn't calculate the situation. Chess is the best way to show your intelligence. Maybe this time I can help you calculate it clearly?"

"That's not necessarily true. Being clever as a child doesn't guarantee greatness as an adult. My chess skills have improved greatly, and Duke Lu may not be my match." After this statement, the peaceful atmosphere in the room somewhat dissipated. Even the palace maids present knew that Duke Lu Jia Mi was a man of the utmost arrogance and pride, and what he hated most was someone showing off in front of him.

Jia Mi narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. After examining Sima Yi for a moment, he saw that he was not backing down. He couldn't help but sneer and said, "So, the Crown Prince wants to play a game of chess with me?"

Sima Yi chuckled and replied, "Haha, it's been so long since I last saw Duke Lu. Now that we've been apart for so long, it wouldn't be a problem to play a game of hand-to-hand."

"Hmph, well, after all these years, let me see how much the prince has improved."

After saying this, Sima Yi signaled the palace maids with his eyes, asking them to bring the chessboard, chess pieces and other chess pieces. He finally got up from the couch and leaned against the chess pieces. After everything was arranged, Sima Yi coughed slightly and extended his hand to invite Jia Mi to take a seat.

Jia Mi certainly did not refuse. After he sat down, he asked, "Who of us plays black and who of us plays white?"

Sima Yi smiled and said, "No need to say more. Duke Lu is so handsome and elegant, so of course he plays with white pieces. A common man like me, of course, plays with black pieces."

Without further ado, the two began to place their pieces on the chessboard. Contrary to his appearance, Jia Mi had a feminine appearance, but a very impatient nature, making his moves very quickly, whereas Sima Yi had a masculine appearance, but he often thought twice before acting, making his moves slowly.

After the two had made over a hundred moves, Sima Yi lifted a chess piece but didn't put it down. He said to Jia Mi with emotion, "I really miss it. Duke Lu's style of play is still the same as before, so bold and decisive."

Jia Mi sarcastically replied, "Aren't you the same? After all these years, you're still the same. You're always one step behind the other in chess, trying to be clever and being mysterious, but you often end up making things worse."

After Sima Yi made his move, Jia Mi leaned forward, finally unable to conceal his intentions. He taunted him in a low voice, "Do you think these tricks of yours can scare me? From childhood to adulthood, when have you ever been able to defeat me? Many times, you've tried to plot a move to kill my dragon, but each time, you miscalculated your moves, leaving me with a deadly slaughter."

Sima Yi remained calm and said, "Duke Lu, you are joking. I did lose at that time, but I want to tell you something."

"It wasn't that I miscalculated the steps, but I didn't want to upset Duke Lu, so I deliberately lost to him."

"But this round is different. I want to get rid of the worry in my heart, so I can't give in to Duke Lu anymore."

"You're giving in to me?" Upon hearing this, Jia Mi was so angry that he laughed. He was ready to kill the prince and make him take back his words.

But when Sima Yi placed another piece, he was stunned. Previously, he had the upper hand, his dragon charging across the battlefield like a soaring dragon. But unexpectedly, the situation suddenly shifted. Unconsciously, the prince's many idle moves suddenly responded to each other, forming a loose but tight net that trapped the dragon.

Jia Mi was stunned. He hesitated on his first move. Whether it was a flying, leaping, stabbing, or spinning move, his opponent seemed to have a countermeasure. Most cleverly, Sima Yi used the corner to create a ko. Even if Jia Mi won, it would take three consecutive moves to capture the black piece. But if he captured this corner, Sima Yi would be able to move more freely, completely blocking the path to the dragon.

He was absolutely unwilling to admit that he was weaker than Sima Yi, but when he looked up, he saw Sima Yi holding a chess piece in his hand, looking at Jia Mi with a relaxed look, the chess piece kept turning between his fingers, and the smile on his face seemed to be silently mocking him.

After a moment's silence, Jia Mi suddenly put down his chess piece and sneered, "You are indeed a smart man, but many times, intelligence alone will not get you anywhere."

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Lord Lu."

"Smart people often look ahead and behind, overthinking, which is why they have mental problems. You may seem to have it all figured out now, but things aren't like playing chess; no one plays by the rules."

At this point, Jia Mi waved his hand and swept all the chess pieces off the chessboard. They immediately fell to the ground with a clattering sound, like an unexpected rainstorm. After a long time, the black and white chess pieces finally stopped jumping, like... But the hall was also quiet as night.

This was truly an act of utter disrespect and disloyalty. King Sima Ying of Chengdu stood up and rebuked him, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent to the throne. How dare you be so disrespectful!"

"Shut up!" Jia Mi raised his eyes and cursed: "The prince is right here, he hasn't opened his mouth yet, how can you speak?"

Sima Ying turned to look at the crown prince, and saw that the crown prince had no reaction. King Sima Jue of Qi was also silent beside him, so he had no choice but to sit down in disappointment.

Jia Mi looked at the prince again and laughed, "You think you've won, but you can't win this game of chess at all, because I can't lose this game of chess. If I lose, I have hundreds of ways to make it difficult for you."

Sima Yi closed his eyes slightly, covered his mouth and coughed a few times, then opened them again, revealing an unprecedented solemnity. He said slowly to Jia Mi, "I know what you mean, so I have never thought of dying with you."

"But in this world, one cannot decide for oneself. This isn't just my decision; it's the Sima family's. I can give in, but the Sima family's world cannot. This remains true whether I live or die."

"I hope Duke Lu will tell the Queen Mother to think it over carefully. I only have six months to give her. I don't have any excessive conditions. I only want the power of regent. Beyond that, I will not arbitrarily touch the power of Pingyang Jia, nor will I even touch the positions of Zhang Hua and Pei Wei. This is already very lenient. If she still refuses, then the situation will be beyond your and my control."

"It's getting late, Duke Lu, please go back. The Crown Princess and I have an appointment to cook together today. I have to go cut the meat first, so I won't stay here with Duke Lu any longer."

After saying this, Sima Yi didn't want to talk to Jia Mi anymore. He got off the bed, put on his clogs, walked out from among the scattered black and white chess pieces on the ground, got on the carriage, and went straight to the harem.

Jia Mi had never seen the prince in such a solemn manner, and was a little dazed for a moment, but as he watched the prince's figure go away, his charming face gradually revealed an unprecedented coldness. After chuckling, he got off the bed and left.

He casually kicked away all the chess pieces beneath his feet, then walked straight out of the hall, ignoring the two princes beside him. (End of this chapter)